Diversity in Tech communities and platforms

by Startacus Admin

We recently had a feature about women in tech, and platforms, groups, and the like that support and advocate them. Diversity doesn’t end with a balance of men and women, however, so we decided to do another feature along the same lines, but a tad broader. Diversity is after all a broad thing, not to mention an important one, so, just as before, we have put together a list of sites, platforms, and initiatives that are dedicated to diversity in the tech industry. (Mostly UK focused).

This is a monthly meetup in London to discuss the state of diversity in the UK technology industry, and how to change it and the way people view it. The meetups have speakers every month, food and drink, and the opportunity to talk to others in the industry looking to help improve diversity.

One day (hopefully soon), diversity won’t be a thing to give out awards for, but rather simply the way things are. Until then, the Tech Diversity Awards recognise people and groups that demonstrate leadership in raising awareness and promoting diversity through programmes and initiatives. The awards are given across 4 categories: education, business, government, and media & advertising.

This is a platform where the leadership of businesses all over America literally take a pledge to increase diversity in tech to become fully representative of the American people. Businesses that take the pledge are committed to implement and publish goals to advance diversity, annually publish data and progress metrics on the company’s diversity, and invest in partnerships to develop and support talent from all backgrounds.

UK Black Tech is an online platform that promotes diversity through campaigns, podcasts, and blog posts; offers services to promote cultural diversity in organisations; and is driven to advancing equality and diversity in the tech industry with long term thinking and community building. They offer an online space for all sorts of tech individuals, from the diverse workforce itself to other business leaders, experts, and investors all over the UK to come together.

The InterTech Diversity forum is a network for promoting and encouraging LGBT+ diversity in the UK tech industry. The site provides members with the latest news on events, mentoring, and various other happenings in the LGBT+ community - specifically, of course, within tech.

This conference, next taking place in May 2018 in London, has had speakers from the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Deloitte, Bloomberg, and more, talking about best practices for creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. This is an opportunity to make connections and find and give support for industry progression in the area of diversity and inclusiveness.

Code2040 is a San Francisco based non-profit organisation dedicated to creating pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in the innovation economy for underrepresented minorities, specifically Black and Latinx people. By creating awareness, access and opportunities for minorities, Code2040 aims to close the gap and ensure proportionate representation by the year 2040 - the year that the US population will have a majority of people of colour.

Although it doesn’t necessarily come under diversity, this refugee-centric organisation is worth mentioning too. Code Your Future is a non-profit organization supported by Hack Your Future - Code Your Future’s Amsterdam twin - that helps support refugees and asylum seekers in their aspiration to become developers. The organisation runs courses and programmes in London and Glasgow, with the aim of expanding to more cities and regions soon.

Again, this isn’t an entirely comprehensive or exhaustive list. If you know of similar organisations and platforms, feel free to mention them in the comments or tweet us at @iamstartacus

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